“Resounding to His glory”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, April 12, 2022
John 12:20-36 CEV p. 73) CEV p. 1118
‘Glory’ is not a word that we use very often these days, but finds use in the Scriptures, both Old and New, quite frequently. It is usually used of God, and describes His splendour, holiness and majesty. It expresses His surpassing value and dignity and worth. Most often it is used in conjunction with His works, with His activity, with His presence, especially when we mortal human beings experience it in some tangible way.
We see it referred to in a couple of ways in today’s passage. Jesus prays that His Father might be glorified by His, that is, Jesus’ own death, and God replies that He has already been glorified. And indeed, He has, by means of Jesus’ entire earthly ministry up to this point. But then Jesus also speaks of His own glory, which in John’s Gospel refers to His death, resurrection and ascension. That is truly and uncontestably what ultimately and finally gives glory to Jesus. This is what Jesus refers to when He says ‘My time has not yet come’ (John 2:4; 7:8). And, indeed, this is what sets Jesus apart from all other prophets, sages and teachers. No one else has ever died and risen again, never to die again.
But then, this poses two questions for me, and perhaps for all of us. Firstly, how do we experience God’s glory? I’m sure that our answers will very widely among individuals, each according to his or her own experience. For me, several occasions stand out: the birth of a child, a particular place in the out-of-doors (Margaret Falls in the Shuswap district of BC), and even a particular occasion during public worship. These are all occasions when I felt the presence and power and majesty of Almighty God. I am sure that we cannot conjure them up at will, but I do wonder whether there are particular times and places that are more susceptible to this so that we might look for it here and seek it out, and perhaps, be more open to it. (Busyness—and a pre-occupation with other things—has a way of inhibiting such an awareness.) And, along with this, are there any ways that we might promote or facilitate this sense of the glory of God. Thomas G. Long, in his book, Beyond the Worship Wars, suggests that people come to public worship looking for a sense of mystery, God’s mystery in fact—or put in different words, God’s glory--and suggests that there are ways that we might facilitate or inhibit it. This is certainly something that we might ponder and pray about.
My second question flows naturally from this and it is this: how do we give God glory, or praise, in our lives? How do we proclaim His incredible worth and value? How do we show forth His splendour, holiness and majesty? I would suggest that we do this—or, on the reverse, don’t do this—by the way that we live. One of my bishops, Bishop Barry Curtis, used to say something that was both challenging and frightening. He used to say that ‘you and I may be the only Jesus Christ that some people ever see or experience.’ In other words, people should see Jesus, God’s glory, expressed in us. Everything we do, and are, should resound to His glory. Wow. Certainly, this is a matter of prayer for all of us. Amen.
Forward notes: “They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’” (verse 21).
“In my senior year of high school, my friends and I talked a lot about God. We explored all kinds of ideas and beliefs. Often, we took extreme views. Sometimes we believed them. Other times, we were simply being contrarian to our upbringing and culture. I tended to defend whatever position was in the minority. Many times, this meant supporting the idea of God and faith. At the time, I did not know if I believed in God, and I was uncertain about my opinion of Christianity. I now know that my heart was yearning for God and yearning to see Jesus. I wanted to see light and love in the world, in others and in myself.
“During Holy Week, we may want to close the eyes of our imagination. It is hard to look at Jesus bruised and bloody. It is not the Jesus we want to see. But it is the Jesus our hearts yearn to see. This is the Jesus who saves and redeems us even in his darkest moment of death.”
Moving Forward: “Stay awake so you can see Jesus.”